


Til The Dawn

by owlways_and_forever



Series: The Mischief They Create [38]
Category: Harry Potter - J. K. Rowling
Genre: F/M, Fluff, Friends to Lovers, Mutual Pining, Reunions
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-04-07
Updated: 2020-04-07
Packaged: 2021-03-13 01:01:11
Rating: Mature
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,674
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/29269926
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/owlways_and_forever/pseuds/owlways_and_forever
Summary: Mary runs into an old friend when she returns to Edinburgh and they explore some feelings they hadn't realized were there.
Relationships: Antonin Dolohov/Mary Macdonald
Series: The Mischief They Create [38]
Series URL: https://archiveofourown.org/series/1888561





	Til The Dawn

**Author's Note:**

> Aquatic Studies, Task 10: Write about staying up all night.  
> IPC #554 - Fish and chips  
> 365 #65 - Dance

Mary downed her rum and coke quickly, trying to forget the loneliness that had been eating her alive. Ever since she had moved to London, away from all of her friends, she had been miserable. So she’d gone back to Edinburgh the first chance she could, even if it had taken nearly a year. Marlene, true to her nature, had insisted on going to a club ASAP.

The music was horrifically loud, and it wasn’t even good music. The drinks were too expensive by far, though she assumed that at least they weren’t as costly as in London (not that she would know). And of course, Marlene had been dragged off to the middle of the dance floor with some hot stranger within .2 seconds of arriving. So Mary just kept knocking back tumblrs of rum and coke (heavy on the rum) and trying to figure out what her next move was going to be.

A few metres away, Mary could see familiar dark hair and a kind face, and she could hardly believe her eyes. She knew he’d stayed in Edinburgh, but he wasn’t much of a partier, and she sort of thought that she’d never see him again. And even though Mary thought she had gotten over her little crush, the suddenly quickened pace of her heartbeat said otherwise.

“Mary?” he was moving toward her through the crowd, surprise and disbelief written across her face.

“Antonin,” she breathed, wanting nothing more than to throw her arms around his neck.i

He smiled ear to ear as soon as she said his name, and immediately enveloped her in a tight hug. She felt his shoulder pop with the voracity of it, and she couldn’t help the grin that spread over her face. Never would she have thought that Antonin would be so happy to see her.

“How are you?” he asked, pulling away from her slightly as his eyes flickered across her face.

“Much better now,” she replied, the copious amounts of rum making her brave, while she tapped her fingertips lightly against Antonin’s chest.

His face lit up at her words, and he reached up to tuck an errant strand of hair behind her ear gently. Mary felt her heartbeat race at his touch, and she couldn’t help but want more. Antonin, it seemed, felt similarly. His fingers clutched at her waist, holding her tight, and he dipped his head close like he wanted to lean his forehead against hers. 

“Do you wanna dance?” Antonin whispered, his voice somehow the only thing she could hear in the club, despite the pounding bass that beat in time with her heart.

Mary shook her head, a wicked grin on her face as her fingers roamed, skirting his shoulders and finding the dark curls at the nape of his neck. She was acting more boldly than she ever had before in her life, but Antonin was standing in front of her, and she had wanted him for so long, and she just couldn’t let this chance pass her by. He returned her smile and then suddenly grabbed her hand, turning away and tugging her with him. They weaved through the throngs of people and pushed through the front door, bursting out into the cool night air. 

Antonin stopped walking and turned back to Mary, settling his hands over her jaw and brushing his thumbs over the soft skin of her cheeks. Icy blue eyes met warm brown, and then his lips were on hers, sweet and soft and better than anything she could’ve dreamt. She pulled herself closer to him, pressing her body against his.

“I missed you,” he sighed, running his fingers through her chocolatey hair.

“Me too,” Mary replied. As intense as her crush on Antonin had always been, he had also been her friend, someone who made a special effort just to make her smile and laugh. It was why she liked him so much. 

“Antonin… take me home.”

He grinned like she had lit up the entire night with her radiance. 

“C’mon,” he said, taking her hand again and tugging her down the street. “My apartment is just a few blocks away.”

They walked at a brisk pace, hands clasped, stealing glances at each other and grinning like idiots. Only two blocks from his apartment, a thunderclap ripped through the sky, streaking lightning through the darkness, and a torrent of rain was unleashed. Laughing, the pair began to jog, even as the rain already began to soak through their clothes and cool their skin.

When they reached his building, Antonin tugged her inside, pausing in the lobby to pull her against him again and kiss her soundly. It quickly turned more heated, wandering hands setting fire to their skin once more. He walked her backward to the elevator and tapped the button, but as the doors opened, another resident rushed through the doors and into the elevators, making the short ride to Antonin’s eighth floor apartment  _ very  _ awkward. But he merely chuckled and nipped at the tender skin beneath her ear from behind while his hands splayed out across her abdomen. Her stomach flipped pleasantly and Mary felt all the more eager to get him behind closed doors. Antonin tugged her along the hallway until they reached the door of his apartment. His fingers played with hers while he unlocked the door and then he pushed it open, hauling Mary in after him. The very second the door was closed, her back was against it, and his lips were covering hers. Mary smiled as he kissed her, lodging her fingers in his hair. Longing coursed through her, and she just wanted to be closer to him. She started walking him backward, even though she had relished the feeling of being pressed between him and the door - it wouldn’t suffice for what she wanted.

The apartment was small, and it was only a few steps from the doorway to the kitchen. A long, narrow island separated it from the living room area, where a dark leather couch faced the tv mounted on the opposite wall. Antonin lifted her up onto the island countertop, and immediately Mary spread her knees apart, allowing him to settle between her thighs. He dragged his fingertips across her buttocks, scrunching the fabric of her skirt up around her waist. Mary sighed heavily as he attached his lips to her neck, nipping and sucking at her pulse point. She could her skin growing flush with every touch, and she slipped her hands underneath his shirt, feeling his muscles twitch at the feeling of her fingertips running over his skin. In response, Antonin dug his fingers into her thighs, pulling her closer to him.

“Antonin…” she pleaded, her breath warm against his cheek. 

He lifted her up again, as she wrapped her legs around his waist. She couldn’t stop kissing him, not that she wanted to. He spun around and walked the few steps to the couch, dropping Mary down onto its soft leather cushions. She laughed, a sweet chime that made Antonin’s heart flip as he propped himself up above her. He took a moment to stare at her unabashed, completely drinking in her beauty. Impatient, Mary placed her hands on Antonin’s cheeks, pulling him down for another kiss, as his fingers worked at the buttons of her top, eager to discard the garment.

o . o . o

Mary ran her fingers over Antonin’s arm, tracing the ridge of his bicep. He smiled back at her, contented. They lay comfortably entwined on the couch, Mary’s head resting on his shoulder. In all their years of friendship, after having a crush on him for so long, she never thought she would actually get to be with Antonin. And it was so much better than she had ever hoped it might be.

“You hungry?” Antonin asked, looking out the window at the still dark sky.

Mary was about to decline when she felt her stomach rumble.

“Yeah, I could eat,” she grinned, running her fingers over his chest.

“I know a good all-night place a block away,” he told her.

Mary immediately sat up, grabbing her blouse from the floor, only to find that it was still soaked through from the rain. She frowned, not relishing the idea of putting on a wet chiffon shirt.

“Want to borrow something dry?”

“Yes please,” Mary smiled, and Antonin quickly got up from the couch, pulling on his boxers and jeans and stalking off to the bedroom.

He returned a moment later carrying a flannel shirt and jeans in his hands while he tugged a white t-shirt over his head. Antonin tossed her the other clothes lightly, and she smirked at him when she held up the women’s jeans he’d given her. It didn’t  _ really _ bother her - he was allowed to have a life, after all - but she did feel a slight pang of jealousy.

“My sister’s,” he explained with a knowing grin. “She was visiting me like two weeks ago and left those in the dryer by accident. The shirt’s mine though.”

Mary laughed as she pulled the clothes on, buttoning Antonin’s flannel shirt while he stared open mouthed. Why was it that guys always liked seeing girls in their shirts so much? 

“You’re so beautiful,” he whispered, wrapping his arm around her waist and pulling her close so he could kiss her sweetly. “Let’s go.” 

They walked the short distance to the place Antonin had mentioned, a small, traditional pub with stained glass windows and low lighting. He led her to a little booth toward the back by the dart board. Mary slid into the seat, looking around with curiosity.

“I’ll go grab us some food, okay?” he asked, leaning down to kiss her again. 

Mary checked her phone quickly while Antonin went to get their orders from the bar counter, only to find four text messages waiting for her.

_ 11:03am Marlene: Hey, where’d you go? I got us another round _

_ 12:46am Marlene: Okay, I’m assuming that you went home, so I’ll see you there. Eventually. There’s still a little more time for fun before I turn into a pumpkin. _

_ 1:14am Lily: Mar said she hasn’t been able to get in touch with you. Please just let us know that you’re alright. We’re starting to worry. _

_ 2:32am Marlene: Okay, so I just got home and you’re not here. I’m really freaked out. Please call me, or I’m gonna have to call the cops and then I’ll be really scared. Don’t make me go totally postal. Call me. _

Mary checked the time. 3:28am. Shit. She quickly tapped out a response.

_ Hey, all is well, don’t worry. I ran into Antonin and we went out for some fish and chips. Just catching up. _

She copied the message and sent it to Lily as well, just as Antonin returned with two plates piled high with food.

“Oh my god,” Mary moaned salaciously. “That smells amazing.”

Antonin grinned at her, offering her a wink at the tantalizing sound she had made. But Mary didn’t even care if she sounded inappropriate, she was starving and the food looked and smelled heavenly. Her phone buzzed against the table, and Mary checked it, assuming that it was either Marlene or Lily confirming that they’d gotten her message.

_ 3:31am Marlene: Get it girl ;) _

Mary shook her head with a bemused smile and then tucked her phone back into the pocket of the borrowed jeans.

“Sorry,” she said to Antonin, turning her attention back to him. “I just had to let Marlene know that I’m alright, she got worried when I wasn’t at the apartment.”

“That’s okay,” he answered. “She’s a good friend.”

“The best,” Mary replied automatically.

“Have you known her a long time?” he asked, popping a perfectly crispy fry into his mouth.

“She was the first person I met in Edinburgh,” Mary answered, her eyes glazing over slightly as she reminisced. “We lived in the same apartment building, but we actually met at a cafe down the street. She saw me reading a journal article that she had worked on. We found out that we had some research interests in common, and we bonded over that. She became my best friend here.”

“You know, it’s weird, I feel like I don’t actually know that much about you, even though we’ve been friends for years,” Antonin mused. “I mean, I know who you are, your personality I guess. But I don’t really know a whole lot about your life or what you do. Is that strange?”

“No, I know what you mean,” Mary agreed, taking a bite of her battered fish. “I feel like I know you so well, but I didn’t even know you had a sister until about 20 minutes ago.”

“A brother too,” he chuckled, gulping his beer. “Dimitri and Elena, both younger than me.”

“I’ve got an older sister,” she shared, “Victoria.”

“She came to visit you once, right? I think I remember.”

“Yeah, she came for a weekend to tell me that she got engaged.”

Antonin didn’t say anything in response, but he looked at Mary carefully, a faint smile gracing his lips.

“I really like you, Mary,” he said at last, reaching out and taking her hand, lacing her fingers with his. “When you were here I… I thought it was just a crush, and I was dating Narcissa. And then you moved away, and I was miserable. Not seeing you every week… I didn’t realize that it had been the highlight of my week. Narcissa left me, and honestly I didn’t even care. When I saw you in that club… Mary…”

The look he gave her was pained. She could see that his words were true, that he’d been in agony, missing her, and he didn’t even know it until he’d laid eyes on her again. Mary felt shocked. She never would have imagined she could have such a hold over someone, much less Antonin.

“Hey, it’s okay,” she assured him, putting down her fork to lay her other hand over their joined ones. “I get it. I didn’t know you could miss someone so much, someone who wasn’t even yours to miss.”

“I don’t want tonight to mean nothing,” he said, thumbing at his bottom lip anxiously.

“It doesn’t mean nothing,” Mary replied, smiling sincerely. “We can figure something out. You know I wasn’t really happy in London, maybe Edinburgh is where I belong.”

Antonin’s face lit up at her words. He wanted to tell her not to do that, didn’t want her to be the girl who gave up her career for him. But he was selfish, and with every beat of his heart he wanted to say,  _ please come back. Please come back. Please come back. _

They sat and ate their fish and chips and spent the time getting to know each other better. The more they talked, the more it became apparent how compatible they were. Even when they disagreed, Antonin made Mary laugh, and she made him consider vantage points he hadn’t before. There was an impenetrable air of happiness around them, like a little bubble. 

It was nearly 5am when they decided it was time to leave the pub. Although Antonin lived only a block away, they took a long route back, passing through a little park. The sky was just beginning to lighten, and dew was collecting on the grass beneath their feet. When they eventually got back to Antonin’s apartment, he led her to the bedroom, and they curled up together. 

As the sun rose and stained the sky a pale yellow and pink, they traded between soft, sweet kisses and gentle words. Their hands explored each other again, more tenderly than before, memorizing each other until the next time they would be together. They shared secrets and hopes and dreams, knowing with the certainty that only two young lovers can have that their dreams would merge into one shared dream, and their lives to follow soon after.


End file.
